Origin
The Swahili language, is basically
of Bantu (African) origin. It has borrowed words from other
languages such as Arabic probably as a result of the Swahili people
using the Quran written in Arabic for spiritual
guidance as Muslims.
As regards the formation of the
Swahili culture and language, some scholars attribute these phenomena to
the intercourse of African and Asiatic people on the coast of East
Africa. The word "Swahili" was used by early Arab visitors to the
coast and it means "the coast". Ultimately it came to be applied to the
people and the language.
Regarding the history of the Swahili
language, the older view linked to the colonial time asserts that
the Swahili language originates from Arabs and Persians who moved to
the East African coast. Given the fact that only the vocabulary can
be associated with these groups but the syntax or grammar of the
language is Bantu, this argument has been almost forgotten. It is well
known that any language that has to grow and expand its territories
ought to absorb some vocabulary from other languages in its way.
A suggestion has been made that
Swahili is an old language. The earliest known document recounting
the past situation on the East African coast written in the 2nd
century AD (in Greek language by anonymous author at Alexandria in
Egypt and it is called the Periplus of Erythrean Sea) says that
merchants visiting the East African coast at that time from Southern
Arabia, used to speak with the natives in their local language and they
intermarried with them. Those that suggest that Swahili is an old
language point to this early source for the possible antiquity of the
Swahili language.
Words from Other Languages
It is an undeniable truth that Arab
and Persian cultures had the greatest influence on the Swahili culture
and
the Swahili language. To demonstrate the contribution of each culture
into the Swahili language, take an example of the numbers as they
are spoken in Swahili. "moja" = one, "mbili" = two, "tatu" = three,
"nne" = four, "tano" = five, "nane" = eight, "kumi" = ten, are all
of Bantu origin. On the other hand there is "sita" = six, "saba" =
seven and "tisa" = nine, that are borrowed from Arabic. The Arabic
word "tisa" actually replaced the Bantu word "kenda" for "nine". In some
cases the word "kenda" is still used. The Swahili
words, "chai" = tea, "achari" = pickle, "serikali" = government,
"diwani" = councillor, "sheha" = village councillor, are some of the
words borrowed from Persian bearing testimony to the older
connections with Persian merchants.
The Swahili language also absorbed
words from the Portuguese who controlled the Swahili coastal towns (c.
1500-1700AD). Some of the words that the Swahili language absorbed from
the Portuguese include "leso" (handkerchief), "meza" (table), "gereza"
(prison), "pesa" ('peso', money), etc. Swahili bull-fighting, still
popular on the Pemba island, is also a Portuguese legacy from that
period. The Swahili language also borrowed some words from languages of
the later colonial powers on the East African coast - English (British)
and German. Swahilized English words include "baiskeli" (bicycle),
"basi" (bus), "penseli" (pencil), "mashine" (machine), "koti" (coat),
etc. The Swahilized German words include "shule" for school and
"hela" for a German coin.
Spread into the Hinterland
For centuries, Swahili remained as
the language for the people of the East African coast. Long-time
interactions with other people bordering the Indian Ocean spread the
Swahili language to distant places such as on the islands of Comoro
and Madagascar and even far beyond to South Africa, Oman and United
Arab Emirates. Trade and migration from the Swahili coast during the
nineteenth-century helped spread the language to the interior of
particularly Tanzania. It also reached Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo,
Central African Rebublic, and Mozambique.
Christian missionaries learnt
Swahili as the language of communication to spread the Gospel in
Eastern Africa. So, the missionaries also helped to spread the
language. As a matter of fact the first Swahili-English dictionary
was prepared by a missionary. During the colonial time, Swahili was
used for communication with the local inhabitants. Hence the colonial
administrators pioneered the effort of standardizing the Swahili
language. Zanzibar was the epicenter of culture and commerce, therefore
colonial administrators selected the dialect of the Zanzibar (Unguja)
town as the standard Swahili. The Unguja dialect (Kiunguja) was then
used for all formal communication such as in schools, in mass media
(newspapers and radio), in books and other publications.
Now Swahili is spoken in many
countries of Eastern Africa. For Tanzania, deliberate efforts were made
by the independent nation to promote the language (thanks to the
efforts of the former head of state, Julius K. Nyerere). Tanzania's
special relations with countries of southern Africa was the chief
reason behind the spread of Swahili to Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, and
other neighbouring countries to the south. Swahili is the national as
well as the official language in Tanzania - almost all Tanzanians speak
Swahili proficiently and are unified by it. In Kenya, it is
the national language, but official correspondence is still conducted in
English. In Uganda, the national language is English but Swahili enjoys a
large number of speakers especially in the military. As a matter of
fact, during the Iddi Amin's rule Swahili was declared the national
language of Uganda. However, the declaration has never been seriously
observed nor repealed by the successive governments.
International Presence
Thus, Swahili is the most widely
spoken language of eastern Africa and many world institutions have
responded to its diaspora. It is one of the languages that feature
in some world radio stations such as, the BBC, Radio Cairo (Egypt),
the Voice of America (U.S.A.), Radio Deutschewelle (Germany), Radio
Moscow International (Russia), Radio Japan International, Radio China
International, Radio Sudan, and Radio South Africa. The Swahili language
is also making its presence in the art world - in songs, theatres,
movies and television programs. For example, the lyrics for the song
titled "Liberian girl" by Michael Jackson has Swahili phrases:
"Nakupenda pia, nakutaka pia, mpenzi we!" (I love you, and I want you,
my dear!). The well-celebrated Disney movie, "The Lion King" features
several Swahili words, for example "simba" (lion), "rafiki" (friend), as
the names of the characters. The Swahili phrase "hakuna matata" (No
troubles or no problems) was also used in that movie.
The promotion of the Swahili
language is not only in its use but also deliberate efforts are made
throughout the world to include it in education curriculum for
higher institutions of learning. It is taught in many parts of the
world.
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